Evanescence
by Gladiel
Summary: Among fleeting emotions and ephemeral dreams, there must be something everlasting. After all, love is not shortlived. A collection of related short stories set after the end of the series. [Jin x Fuu x Mugen] [edited FEB2506]
1. One Way

**Series:** Samurai Champloo  
**Title:** One-way  
**Characters:** Jin, Fuu  
**Genre:** General  
**Rating:** G  
**Summary:** And for a short, fleeting moment, fate has done her work. They have met, they have seen, they have said goodbye. Set after the end of the series. drabble  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**EVANESCENCE  
**_One-Way_**  
**

**

* * *

**

It was for a fleeting moment. He was the one who recognized the face, the movement of cloth, the child-like smile, the imperious glare, even before she noticed he was standing, watching her. She was welcoming men into the inn. He was walking across. He saw the lips of one of the men move, and then laughter. A dark tanned hand extended itself to the girl he once knew and a flash of white slapped the hand away. The man laughed again while Fuu scolded and Jin fought the urge to draw his sword kill the man then and there.

Old habits die hard, he supposed.

And then their eyes met.

He was the first to break the contact, as he was the first who made it, and decided to direct his attention to the small children: two boys who played 'sword' with sticks.

She wore a darker kimono, still the shade of red. Her hair a bit longer, looking more like russet than auburn.

He wore the same, dark sapphire clothing. The same midnight hakama. The same eyeglasses.

But many things have changed.

Between him. Between her. Between _them_.

And so he walked. And so she smiled. And for a short, fleeting moment, fate had done her work. They have met, they have seen, they have said goodbye.

He continued walking and after a while, stoped. He turned his back once, just once, and walked again, recommencing an unfinished journey. A journey which he knew no end. Perhaps she found hers, and maybe he would find his, but something told him it would be the last time they'd find themselves standing on a similar crossroad. He'd take the right, she'd take the left, and they'll find themselves in opposite sides of the pole without ever seeing the other again.

And she glanced back, a quick and sudden glance, and saw a man whom she once knew. A man whom she once traveled with. A man whom she once loved.

But Fate interferred and they're on opposite sides of the road again.


	2. Fool

**Series:** Samurai Champloo  
**Title:** Fool  
**Characters:** Mugen  
**Pairing:** hinted Mugen x Fuu  
**Genre:** General, Angst  
**Rating:** G  
**Summary:** He was a fool, she was a fool; they were all fools. But there was no greater fool than he. Hinted Mugen x Fuu. drabble  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**EVANESCENCE**  
_Fool_

_

* * *

_

His wooden slippers crushed the grass beneath him, each tiny green blade pressed to the ground with brutal force. He continued walking, oblivious of the fact that his stiff, forceful steps showed no mercy to the grass on which he walked upon.

But of course, trivial things like those never bothered him.

What bothered him most was the revelation of how much of a fool he really was. He was a fool, she was a fool; they were all fools. But there was no greater fool than he.

He crushed the verdant life beneath him with more force. He was frustrated. At himself, at him, at her. They had always been a trio whose every decision affected the other and now he was filled with aggravation.

It's been almost a year since he last saw Fuu, but Jin he had crossed paths with some months ago. He was never good with counting. He just knew that seasons changed and it must have been a year since they all went separate ways. Perhaps even more, but he didn't really care. All that occupied his mind right now was just the fact that he was a fool.

He could not blame Jin, he could not blame her. After all, he was the one who never understood himself. He who only knew how things are by looking at them, unlike _him _who studied the sources and consequences of everything he witnessed.

That was how different they are, but it did not stop there.

"Damn."

Would he be more at peace if he had not seen him? Had he not told him_ her _feelings, _his_ observations, would he have been more at peace?

Probably.

Or then again, perhaps he'd still be frustrated over his own stupidity and foolishness, his practical blindness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Fuu cared for you."_

"_Me? She only wanted to see her 'sunflower samurai'," he said in disbelief. _

"_Idiot. I have witnessed her actions which were, apparently, very easy to read."_

"_Ha? You're kidding right? I had the impression she wanted _you_."_

"_Fuu loved _you_, idiot."_

"_You don't have to call me 'idiot' twice, bastard!"_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Would a year later be too late? Too late to find the girl who'd be sixteen—seventeen now? He wondered how much she's changed. If _those_ feelings have changed - if she felt them, to start with.

Because now he _knew_. Now he knew how he felt about the girl: flat-chested, loud, and had a big appetite but was never greedy when it came with food. A girl who occupied his thoughts, bound him to a promise he never made, made it impossible to escape her companionship. He never asked himself why whenever he _tried_ to leave her behind, seek his freedom, he simply could _not_. But now he knew _why_.

"Keh."

He loved her.

And the reason why he was the biggest fool of all?

One year later he still did.


	3. Mistake

**Series:** Samurai Champloo  
**Title:** Mistake  
**Characters:** Jin, Mugen  
**Pairing:** uh, none really  
**Genre:** General  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Meeting him after half a year, and seeing her after the same amount of time passed, he wondered if loving_ her_ was a mistake. Spoilers from episode two.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**EVANESCENCE**  
_Mistake_

___

* * *

_

Ah, clearly, _he_ had not changed. For six months later he crossed paths with his one-time comrade, he saw the same old Mugen.

But then again, maybe he changed a little. Matured, perhaps? It was, after all, only the outside that he saw—a thick, yet fragile veneer. Change was not far from possible. It was, as they said, the only constant thing in the world.

He was greeted with an "Oi!" and a simple, friendly "Jin."

After the greetings were exchanged, he found himself looking at a troubled, slightly disarrayed man.

He knew _why_.

And so he knew what to say.

And so they talked about _her_.

"Fuu cared for you," he finally said.

"Me? She only wanted to see her 'sunflower samurai'," he said in disbelief.

At least he got the point. Gaining intelligence (or maybe just common sense) was one of Mugen's apparent changes and improvements.

"Idiot. I have witnessed her actions which were, apparently, very easy to read."

"Ha? You're kidding right? I got the impression she wanted _you_."

Hm, he really should take that back. He was still the same idiot: lacking common sense, indifferent to the female species, and a terrible, violent criminal. But that was the Mugen he traveled with, fought against, and never defeated. His comrade. The Mugen he missed.

"Fuu loved _you_, idiot."

"You don't have to call me 'idiot' twice, bastard!"

Both were silent for a moment. The one who wore glasses was lost in thought about the months that passed and the other, whose unruly, dark hair was slightly moved by the wind, thought about the sudden revelation of _everything_. Jin assumed that for the idiot, the truth was somewhat overwhelming.

"I must be going," he stood up. It was time to part again for that was how things were supposed to be.

"Don't say goodbye so carelessly. I have a feeling I'll see you again. We never did find out who was stronger, after all."

He wondered if Mugen actually grew wiser.

"Tch, See you later."

He nodded and both men went on their way. He to the north, the other to the south.

He remembered the time he spent with the assassin Mugen's enemy hired. They talked of fireflies. He said sometimes two males attract each other.

He did not question how much truth the statement held.


	4. Outcast

**Series:** Samurai Champloo  
**Title:** Outcast  
**Characters:** Fuu  
**Pairing:** Mugen x Fuu can be implied  
**Genre:** Angst  
**Rating:** G  
**Summary:** People leave one by one and again, a girl finds herself all alone.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**EVANESCENCE**  
_Outcast_

_

* * *

_

If they were here she'd proudly say she was sixteen because today's her birthday. But as it seems, she was but a girl traveling to…nowhere. She recently left Kobe and in all truth, she didn't know where to go next.

_If Jin and Mugen were here…_

If the two men were here, she wouldn't be walking through an ancient forest thinking she was deaf. The silence was almost unbearable.

"I won't be surprised if I started talking to myself, humph," the girl said, sitting down for a rest. "Heck, I'm doing it already anyway."

_I don't need their skills. Just their presence…their presence alone is enough._

Chestnut eyes brimmed with tears blinked twice. Two drops fell from both eyes and landed on her open palms. Around her, alpine trees, hanging leaves, verdant plants, and unseen creatures seemed to focus their attention to her.

_Even Momo-san is gone._

She brought her knees close to her chest and rested her head on them. It felt so…cold.

"But it's my birthday and…I have to be happy," she said to no one in particular.

Nearby, an unseen bird chirped as if singing her a birthday song.

"Thank you," she muttered, head bent down. A gentle breeze hugged her, a smiling sun caressed her arms, and falling leaves patted her head. "But…"

She felt nature's greeting yet there was a lacking feeling of belonging in nature's vain attempt to comfort her.

Despite the depressing atmosphere in this almost-paradisiacal woodland, the girl found the strength to stand and continue the journey in which she knew no end.

A few days after these events took place, a ruffian with messy dark hair happened to pass at the same place. He wore a loose crimson robe and a gray shirt with lower clothing that was too short to be called pants and he found a patterned pink tanto knife among fallen leaves. On his face was an obvious expression of irritation and worry. Muttering, he picked it up.

"Stupid girl."


	5. Different

**Series:** Samurai Champloo  
**Title:** Different  
**Characters:** Jin  
**Pairing:** implied Jin x Fuu  
**Genre:** General  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Love and infatuation are two very different things. Spoilers from episode 11, minor spoilers from 24 and 26. drabble  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**EVANESCENCE**  
_Different_

_

* * *

_

He did not expect to find himself feeling a deep affection towards two persons of the opposite sex. He knew not, at first, the difference between the levels of affection he had for the two. He just knew that he felt strongly for both, be it a feeling of kinship or something else. But by the by, he realized their difference and sameness.

Infatuation is a short-lived passion, a sudden spark of desire with a sudden beginning and a sudden end. One needs not reason and at most times, it is a foolish emotion.

Love is a growing feeling between two persons, a longer-lasting bond, and most often ineffable. It could be a deep feeling of affection mixed with gentle desire, bitter yet sweet.

He was attracted to her silent despair and the vain attempt to hide it. Unlike the other, she understood the joy of speaking without words. She was an embodiment of calmness in present danger. He found her beauty desirous, her miserable state almost bewitching. She was the woman who filled his body with satisfying pleasure and prevented him from any rational thinking. Perhaps it was the fact that he somehow saw himself in her that he was able to understand her deeply, that ignited the strong feelings of defending, protecting her as if she was his mate.

However, that rhapsodic relationship did not last due to inevitable circumstances and that short amount of time that seemed like forever ended. He had to say farewell to a woman who captivated him, entranced him, and attracted him despite the fact that he knew so little about her.

Days passed and he was once again left with his companions who, soon after that incident, tried to cheer him with utmost sincerity. Passion faded as time washed it away yet the gentle caring prevailed. The string was not strong enough to tie both of them into an everlasting relationship and it grew weaker, in a sense that it was the feeling of kinship that remained.

He did not regret leaving for he was able to grasp something that he would have lost had he stayed. Soon, he found himself feeling a growing fondness for another who, with her cheerful and optimistic demeanor, made their journey enjoyable despite all the hardships and problems they had to go through.

In truth, it was she who did the saving, not vice-versa.

She, the girl whom he treated and saw as a sister until the night he realized that once this journey would end, life would be dimmed once again by an unwelcome feeling of loneliness.

Perhaps…he did love her.

But like a million other people who realize things when it is already too late, he lost the chance to tell her.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I just edited chapters one to five. I might start watching the series again in a month or so and when that time comes, I might start writing again. Thanks to _Youkai no Yume_ who revived my interest with Samurai Champloo fanfics with her awesome story,** Sweet Nothings**.  



End file.
